Last Straw
by fanfictiongeek36
Summary: Reposted for emphasis: This is a story about a girl who had to lose everything just to find the love that she had been needing her whole life. [AU] trunkspan
1. Cliché  of No Sorts

Disclaimer - I do not own DragonBall Z, so please do not sue me **

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Chapter 1: Cliché of No Sorts

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_Dear Life,  
I've been thinking a lot about you here lately and I've always wanted to know just one simple question. How can you be taken away from someone so easily? It's not right, nor is it fair. You should not have such power over the people that I love._

The summer had just bloomed into the breeze. The high sun burning directly on my delicate paper like skin was only the beginning of a series of hurtful events that would follow. I rubbed my arms gently in some feeble attempt to make the sun stop beaming on me, but it honestly did nothing to help.

Beside me, he picked a flower - a yellow one - that he knew was my favorite kind. With a childlike laugh, I allowed him to push it behind my ear. It was fairly useless considering I planned on rolling down the hill that streamed of bright colors. He must have known too, that or the obvious gleam in my eye gave it away. Sometimes I'm like a map to the people I love.

So, I tumbled down the hill. My skirt hiked up my backside, but I didn't care because all I saw was his laughing face next to mine. He held my hands as we continued downward. Finally, our bodies came to a halt at the bank of the river.

I glanced down with a smile into my reflection. Dirt was prominent on my very young features and I looked up at my disheveled hair. The yellow flower he so carefully put in my hair was all but still perfect in my hair. The sunlight made it seem as though it was much brighter than it already was.

"You okay?" he asked lightly. His fingers ruffled my dark hair softly, forcing my loved flower to fall slowly to the green earth.

"Of course! You think that a small hill like that is going to keep me down?" I giggled at his silly question. I answered my own as well by promptly standing up and pushing my green skirt down.

"I'm glad to see that you're eager to roll down that hill again, but we should probably go inside. After all, I'm sure your mother has got food all ready on the table." he said as his stomach growled.

"Dad, you never seem to surprise me."

He only responded with a hearty laugh. It was days like that when my father put nothing but joy and merriment in my small sheltered world.

"Come on you two, I have had food on this table for nearly half an hour!" I heard my mom holler from our country home. "Better get on in here before it gets too cold for you!"

My dad's brown eyes shown with the sun, it merely hinted to me that he was putting on a competition of some sort. I gave into his wants with a quick nod as we both dashed toward the rustic home. The wind blowing my hair at full speed and the grass needles catching in my toes made me feel free in the moment.

We scrambled in the doorway like lost puppies. My mom simply sighed as she motioned for us to sit down at the dining room table.

"Honey." she said, glancing up at my father, "Won't you say grace?"

"Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the wonderful blessings You have given to me in this life. Bless everything that is within this earth, from the soil to the food we are eating for You Lord. I ask You this in Jesus' name. Amen." He said barely audible. My father had tendencies to be very spiritual with his prayers and felt that if they were softer God would listen closer.

Dinner was very quiet that night. We had the usual chicken breast, green beans, mashed potatoes, and a dinner roll. My mother usually tried to make our meals well balanced based on some food...triangle of sorts.

"Darling," my mother voiced with a hint of questioning, "Please help me wash these dishes up." I never said no to her, so I couldn't understand why she even asked.

"Of course." I replied softly. Promptly, I picked up the dinner plates and silverware as she requested. She took care of gathering the pots and drinking cups.

I ran the faucet water so the hot and cold would mix together with the soapy texture at the bottom of the sink. Dumping the messy dishes in, I turned to face my pale faced mother. It was clear there was stress hidden beneath her soft features, as her eyes were bloodshot.

"Mom," I whispered. "Is something the matter?"

"I've betrayed your father." she whispered just loud enough for me to pick it up. My ears twitched in disbelief as my eyes whirred with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I have had an affair. I've been secretly meeting with a blonde haired blue eyed man who's name I dare not speak unless I wish for my throat to be cut open." she said. Her head floated to the ground at her blue shoes. "But, my young one, you are not to speak of this to your father. He would only wish a tragic death upon me."

"Y-yes, of course." I stammered unknowingly. My mind was that of just a ten-year-old's and I did not understand the full capacity of my mother's words. Her eyes bore holes into mine for a moment until I forced myself to look away. When I did, there was an unexpected visitor in the kitchen.

"Hi dad." I said with a smile.

His eyes shot passed mine and connected with hers. I looked from one parent to the other and immediately I knew something was not right. What it was, I was not so certain.

"How?" he whispered. His voice cracked like an old record player. He placed a firm hand on my arm but his gaze never met mine, it only remained upon my mom. "Why?" His voice was less pleasing with each word. With a disappointed look in his eyes, he broke the staring contest.

"Daddy, what's wrong? Are you sick?" I asked innocently. It was all I could fairly assume at my age, for he didn't seem to show too many outward emotions often. I felt him tug gently on my arm to turn me toward his eyes. He bent down to my level with a crooked smile.

"Yes, I guess you could say that." he choked out. I felt him embrace my body strongly as he pulled my face closer to his. "I love you sweetheart. Don't you ever forget that. If I don't feel better soon and I don't come home from work soon, don't venture out to look for me. Promise me this."

I nodded my head in approval.

"Thank you sweetheart. Now, go run out in the fields, I'll follow after you when the clock reads half passed."

I glanced at the clock and ran hurriedly out the door. I was thrilled that dad and I were spending so much time together. We hadn't had such a good time since I was about 7-years-old. This seemed to be a grand day.

But...

He never came out of the house.

I waited so patiently for him. I allowed butterflies to pass me by, I felt mosquitoes suck precious blood out of my veins. I watched the glowing sun set in the west as the sky turned twenty shades of purple. I stayed out in the darkness as wolves howled deep in the night.

But...

He remained in the house.

So, I did what seemed logical at the time. I ran. I ran far into the thick forest lying behind my humbly disturbed home. I did not allow the tears to fall down my puffy red face, because I felt that it wasn't appropriate for me to cry. I really didn't have a reason; my dad had never forgotten about me on any occasion, but I refused to cry.

My body was soon tangled up in the thorn path, but it was pointless to scream, for no one was close enough to hear me. I writhed my way out with fresh blood trickling down my arms. I ran on further and further without looking back. The sound of woodland creatures filled my ears and my feet finally stopped at the edge of a cliff. I glanced down and I saw clear blue water; the drop looked close to one hundred feet. Slowly I turned away from the rocky edge and my body collapsed under my feet. Unconsciousness took over my frail being.

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"Hi there. Are you okay? You got dirt on your face?" a childish voice said. My eyes opened slowly to a blinding light - also known as the sun. It was then I saw the outline of a figure close to my face, but all I could focus on was one thing.

Blue eyes.

He had eyes that reminded me of the man who has been with my mother. The same man that made my dad not come outside last night. I balled my fists up tightly and gave the figure a hard shove in the chest.

"Ugh, what was that for?" he asked with anger in his tone. "Fine then, if you are not going to be nice, what's the point of me staying and helping you? Take care of yourself."

He pushed himself off the ground and I didn't take notice to anything about him except those eyes. I saw him with his back against me. He seemed ready to leave me.

"I was going to, believe me, I don't need the help from someone who makes my father break his promises!" I yelled at him. He didn't look back at me. He simply disappeared into the thick forest I ran into carelessly last night.

I sat there quietly confused of what I should do next. I had a choice of sitting beyond the forest all day and ignoring my father or going back home and talking to my father. I chose the latter and soundlessly pushed myself off the moist blades of grass. The morning was barely awake and so was I. I slowly made my way into the forest again.

I couldn't understand how I was able to just run straight through the forest with little cuts on my body. In the bright setting, it seemed much more intricate and detailed than in the middle of the night with my vision slightly impaired by a feeble moonlight.

My body trembled from the wind brushing against my shoulders. I hugged my body close as the forest began to come alive with the sounds of birds and rustling in the green leaves. Summer had barely started, and mine was unfortunately nothing too grand.

It was then that I heard it. My ears tweaked to my left and it sounded as though there was something else in the forest. Startled yet curious, I followed the noise as quietly as my feet allowed. I purposely dodged the leaves laying so motionless on the dry soil until finally the mysterious person stopped just outside of the forest. Somehow, I had turned around and was going the direction I came from.

The figure stood close to the edge of the cliff where I was last night. I squinted my eyes closely to see what it was doing and who it was. I let out a silent gasp when I recognized it was my father. I wondered immediately if he remembered about his promise and if he was looking for me.

I crept closer to my father, but not too close to where he knew I was there. He took a steady breath and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He seemed apprehensive as he stood with a longing eye over the cliff. I didn't know what to expect in those moments but deep down I hoped he would turn around and surprise me; that was far from his mind though, I could see it in his brown eyes.

He dropped to his knees with his hands pressed firmly together, palm to palm. He was praying, his eyes closed and streaming with tears. I didn't know what to make of his sudden show of emotions and I only sat there in the bushes unmoving as he slowly stood back up. He inched closer to the edge of the cliff and took one glance down before his body started to ease forward. Just before the inevitable happened, my feet pushed me up and in his direction and my voice screamed,

"Dad! No!"

But, it was too late...his body gave way under his feet. I could have sworn I saw him take a glance back just before it happened though. I closed my eyes tightly, not wanting to see anything else, but my mind wasn't prepared for what I heard. It sounded like his body hit cement...hard.

I faced myself toward the forest and quickly paced into it. I didn't want to stay to see the outcome. My body shook and my eyes dared to leak tears. I couldn't believe what I saw.

Within minutes, I was out of the forest and my home came into view. Wiping my eyes, I took one last look at the forest and sprinted to my house with a new perspective on my father.

I never saw him again after that. My mother tried to tell me that he died in a car accident, but I didn't believe her lie one bit. I knew what happened, and I didn't trust my mother's words after that.

I wish my daddy would have found a different way out.

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A/N: This story has been reposted due to the fact that I feel it is a good story and no one has really read it. I have about 14 chapters of it already written, it's just a matter of positive feedback. This is by far one of the best stories and plot lines I have ever had for anything that I write. When I get at least 10 reviews for this chapter, I will post a new one.


	2. Pink Fire

Disclaimer - I don't own DragonBall Z so please do not sue me.

I want to say thanks to supersaiyanx and goodknight for being the first two reviewers of my story! Thank you sososososososososo much!

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**Chapter 2: Pink Fire**

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_Dear Lust,  
Why do you have to be so irrelevant? Why is it necessary for you to completely and totally blind so many people? You are thought to be love, but you are just a cheap illusion that I will never buy into. I hope you grow up one day, because you keep making me feel like a disaster._

Pink. The dresses had to be pink. It didn't matter if I hated the color pink, or if it was the most unflattering on my hips, all that mattered was her happiness. I never got a say in anything anymore. All that she could think about was herself and him of course.

I took a long hard look in the mirror at my dark almost black hair. Dissatisfaction overwhelmed me, so I decided to look away and forget about how about one hundred people would see me. I figured it wasn't too relevant, it would only take an hour maximum.

The door burst open to my left and there she stood, the woman who made my life miserable - my mother. This wasn't exactly what a typical teenage girl dreamed about - seeing her mother with a veil covering her brown eyes that had obvious tears streamed down her face. She pulled my body up to hers and forcibly shook it.

"What if he gets cold feet?" her voice quavered. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and remark with something sarcastic as her eyes frantically scanned across the room with anticipation. It felt pointless to try and encourage her with words at this point.

She paced. She paced rather rapidly in high heels. I could hear her murmuring swears under her breath as she finally came to some conclusion in her head.

"I've got it!" she said with her index finger to the ceiling. "Maybe it's really me with cold feet and not him. Maybe this is all a psychological trick!"

"Good grief." I said with a sigh. "You over think too much mom, just walk down the aisle when the organ starts."

She made no response. Instead she left my dressing quarters, which gave back the much needed space she took up. Tiredly, I sat down in the chair with a groan. The two and a half inch pink shoes were giving my feet painful blisters.

A feeble knock came from the door, flustered I pushed myself off the chair and hurriedly made my way toward it. With a quick pull, I opened it to find two women whom were the other bridesmaids. I nodded my head curtly at them before allowing them to come in. One was rather stout with a round face and full figure, and the pink seemed to suit her well. While the other woman stood tall and elegant, but her looks were nothing too overpowering.

"Yes?" I asked courteously.

"We have come to inform you that you need to hurry. The event starts in less than thirty minutes and you have not even put the earrings in. Come on young child, we don't have time to waste, don't you want to see your mother be wed." the short woman stated in a rash and harsh town.

"Yes, of course." stammered. My hands grazed over the small vanity to search for the elusive pink earrings, but to no avail did I find them. I looked with not only my hands, but my eyes as well soon after. "They've gone missing."

"Well, forget about it. We've wasted too much time as it is. Come now, let's go." the elegant woman said as her hand gently guided me out of the dressing room.

We walked as fast as my shoes permitted me to, which was equivalent to the speed of a turtle. After we made our way down an intricate set of stairways, I found we were outside of a tall building and headed towards a limousine.

The limousine was an older style. It was decent on the outside, but on the inside it smelled of mold. I felt it was some radical excuse for my mothers wedding to look like it was something extravagant or exquisite, when really it was rather outdated.

With five minutes until the ceremony started, we arrived at the chapel. Just as our driver began to stop I saw rain drops pitter pattering on the window. The rain must have distorted the drivers vision because all I felt was my body slamming forward and all I heard was glass breaking.

"Go on! Hurry and get out!" My driver yelled at us in anger.

I opened the door and all I felt was my hair being covered with water. The smell of hairspray filled the air as us three bridesmaids feverishly ran up the chapel's stairs with all our might. The elegant woman pulled on the doors and we scurried in like rats looking for cheese.

My mother's eyes fell upon me and she frowned. She first examined my hair and tried to fix it and when she began with adjusting my dress, the cues went off and I was rendered no choice but to walk down the aisle with my appearance rather shaggy.

I ignored all the eyes and walked straight on. I took my place where the maid of honor was supposed to rightfully stand. My patience began to wear thin as it consumed more time for the other person's involved in the wedding to walk down than my mother. A stray hair fell from my messy hair-do and I sloppily pushed it aside with my hand.

Then, I looked at him. The man who my mother somehow fell in love with. His hair shone with natural blonde highlights and his eyes were so incredibly blue that they could pierce you in the heart. My body slightly shivered at the thought and I forced myself to look away from a man who I told my mother I hated.

The infamous wedding music played and my eyes finally had something of value to look at. My mother started her walk down the aisle in a slow fashion as her three foot trail dragged more than she did. I watched her, looking at all the precise stitches in her hand woven dream dress as she smiled up at me.

Her smile must have done something to distort her coordination. Not a second later, she tripped on the front of her dress and she fell face forward on a rather rough carpet. Two of the spectators went to her side eagerly and helped her back up. Her faced flushed with a deep shade of red as she finished her way up to the alter.

The preacher stood waiting along with the rest of the people for my mom to get completely settled. Once this happened, he gently cleared his throat so he could speak the vows.

All weddings are generally the same during the vows. Normal people don't listen to vows, which is of course why I paid more attention to my throbbing feet and how much I wanted to burn the pink shoes immediately after they left the chapel. My ears picked up something about sickness and health before the infamous line of, "You may kiss the bride" brought a smile to my face. However, I'm quite certain it wasn't because of the actual marriage.

In the final moments, they had to light the unity candle, well, together. I watched as he tried to take more dominance over lighting it. My mother didn't fail to notice this either, and instead of being passive, she pushed his candle off of the wax. The force of the push allowed his fingers to mistakenly release the candle and land on a curtain that read, "Lamb of God."

The civilians scrambled out of the building like chickens with no heads. I watched in slight amusement at my mother's wedding of perfection torn into total chaos. A part of me felt somewhat sad that she could not enjoy it, but everything else in my being was jumping for joy as I ripped off the pink shoes.

The wedding couldn't have been any better.

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A/N: Ahhh, so...I'm just a little impatient and I already have this chapter typed up. So please tell me what you think of it. Positive reviews keep me writing! BTW: I'm on chapter 12 of 14 soooooo, this story should be done by the end of September, I'd say.


	3. When It's Quiet

Disclaimer - I do not own DragonBall Z, so please do not sue me 

A/N: Ahhh, only one review. :( that makes me sad. Oh well, I'll just keep posting the chapters, it's getting a lot of hits, but no reviews. It makes me really really sad. If you're reading the story and even if you don't like where it's going so far, then please please just tell me, flame me, I don't care! Anyway...onto the story.

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**Chapter 3: When It's Quiet**

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_Dear Apathy,  
How do you tend to give me nothing when I desperately need you? Why won't you take away my pain and emotions, I don't need them, I swear I don't need this constant torment on my heart, would you please please take it away?_

It was cold. Freezing even. It was terribly miserable as I sat down by the bank of the frozen river to reminisce on the times I used to love. The white ground felt soft as fleece when my hands touched it gently.

I pulled my knees up to my chest in some feeble attempt to keep warm. Memories of my dad and I came back and I thought of how we used to play in the snow. The colors around me faded at teh remembrace of my father and I felt my fists clench quickly. I was cold and angry, which wasn't a good situation. With a rushed push, I was off the ground. I walked toward the river and soon found myself on the icy texture. I looked down at the unmoving water with my face paled.

"Why did you leave me?" I whispered softly. I collapsed on the ice as I felt my face turn to ice as I shivered. "Why? Did you have to leave?"

I felt my tears fall off my face, but I wanted so badly to not cry. I tried not to allow it, but everything inside of me screamed for me to. I was so caught up in the crying and overwhelming emotions, I didn't care to notice my body temperature slowly drop. My dark hair looked almost blue against the ice.

I heard a cracking noice below me and couldn't make out where it had come from. I noticed a small crack in the ice by my face, but I didn't think anything of it. The cracking grew louder and my body slightly shook when the the noise hurt my ears. The block of ice I was on broke off and took a dip in teh water. I was soon soaking wet in my winter clothes and to top it off, I wasn't the best of swimmers.

So, I did the most logical thing for being surrounded by a huge block of ice, I screamed. My voice probably carried a little farther than the forests I swore I would never visit. My hands grapsed onto the burning cold ice and I screamed out once again.

Tears welled up in my eyes and it didn't matter if I cried or not, no one would be able to tell. I felt as if there was nothing left for me to try to live anymore. It didn't matter if I lived or not. My body stopped giving in to the struggle of survival and my hands slipped off the ice. I felt my mind begin to lose consciousness and just before my eyes shut I saw a pair of blue eyes - the eyes of him. Of the betrayer.

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My mind began to wake and my eyes refused to open. I felt like I was ina caccoon and my body was shaking feverishly. Slowly, my eyes opened to a dim light that didn't strain my eyes too much. I tried to recollect what had happened before I had fallen asleep. As soon as realization after another hit me, I rapidly glanced around the room. It was unfamiliar to my vision and I jumped to my feet. The door opened just as I composed myself and my figure went rigid.

"You're awake." He barely whispered. It was a boy in his late teens, he looked like he was nice, and his hair was a soft color. But what I focused on was his eyes. They were piercing blue and I couldn't bare to look at him for too long.

"Go away creep." I said crossing my arms. I approached him cautiously and made a feeble attempt to get past him, but he merely grasped my arms and gave me a confused expression.

"The last time that I checked, I only saved your life. You know, I could have just let you go completely under the water and drown when the water filled your lungs to capacity." he stated matter of factly. With his arms parallel to mine he took a hold of my hand. "You're still cold. If you would let me, I would be glad to get you some soup or a warm beverage."

"It's okay, really. I can do just fine on my own. I'm sure that my mother is..." I trailed off my sentece. I couldn't think of anything to say. My mother had honestly never worried about where I was so I could not lie to him.

"Yes?"

"Nevermind. It has no importance anyway."

He nodded curtly and his eyes wavered down to my hands. He still had a strong hold on them.

"I'm sorry about that. I never really saved someone and I just want to do everything in my power to accomodate your needs." he gently let my fingers go at first before completely releasing my hand. "Now, if you don't mind, I will be getting you some soup."

He left the door in a rash manner. I rubbed my hands together for some warmth. I soon decided that he was right, as much as I hated to admit it. So, I got under one of the several blankets that was sprawled on the floor and tried to warm myself up. My skin was a pale purple and I could feel it within every bone of my skin.

Had the water been that cold? Had my fingers been so numb I didn't even feel it? These thoughts flooded my mind as I found msyelf drifting off into a daydream of sorts. I was brought back to reality witha gentle tap on the shoulders from my caretaker. He didn't seem all to bad once I thought about it.

"Here you go young lady, your soup. There is also warm apple cider in the other cup if you are thirsty." he said with a smile. It seemed somewhat cocky to me, like he had a sense of pride behind being some knight in shining armor by saving me when I could have easily saved myself.

"Thank you caretaker." I said in a kind tone. I didn't look up at him once the entire time. The soup filled me with warmth all throughout my body and the hot cider had a hint of cinammon in it that gave it a great flavor.

With a sigh of satisfaction, I placed the cups down on the wood floor. He seemed pleased that I enjoyed it and he eagerly left the room with the cups in his hands. I could have easily put the cups up myself, but he seemed more willing to.

I waited patently for him to return, but it never happened. It was as if I had just made him up in my mind. I felt a quick pain tugging at my heart when the memory of my father promising to meet me for a game of play never coccured.

My breathing strained as I forced everything within myself not to cry. I tried not to think of my father, and very few things could set me off. This caretaker of mine was not helping with my emotions at all. I inhaled slowly to keep myself composed and released my breath. Everything was not going too swell that day.

He burst in the door. I could see apologies written all over his features, even his body language was telling me sorry over and over. He pulled off a jacket and sat down by my side with a morose face. When I looked closer though, I could see a bruise beginning to form under his left eye. It was the first time I didn't judge him by what color his eyes were, and I felt the slightest bit warmer.

"What happened there just below your eye?" I asked in a light tone. I knew that something must have happened for him to be gone for such a long time, but I was uncertain what it could have been. His eyes faltered from mine momentarily until he gathered his words.

"I was cutting wood for our fireplace earlier - my father asked me - and a few of the logs hit me in the eye because of where I carelessly placed them." he glanced away in some odd way to end the conversation and quickly changed the subject. "I'm really sorry I just left you here alone, that was never my intention...do you believe me?"

"Yes, I do."

We both sat quietly and let a moment pass. I shifted soundlessly under the warmth of the blanket as I watched his body shiver from being cold in the room. I wondered why he had taken off his jacket, but I did not have the decency to ask. My mind began to contemplate pushing myself off the floor and telling this caretaker how grateful I was for him saving me.

"Where do you live?" he inquired.

"Just before the entrance of the forest."

"That's not too far."

"Why do you say that?"

"We're in the forest."

My eyes panicked. I looked at him in disbelief and stumbled to my feet. I gathered anything that was mine and made a quick dash for the door. I couldn't be in the forest, that was the only place in this country side I refused to venture off to ever since the incident three years ago.

"Wait," He grasped my hand. "What happened? Did I say something to upset you?"

"It's nothing." I said, trying to convince myself more than him. "I just remembered that there is this event in the city that I must attend. I hope you don't mind if I leave right now."

"Not at all, but please allow me to assist you young lady." he said. "The last encounter I had with a girl in these woods was rather hostile." I shrugged my shoulders in response. I did not care at this point if he came along or not, I just wanted to be out of the forest as fast as I could.

He lead me out of the house in a quiet yet polite manner. I purposely looked around to see if his parents were somewhere, but I saw no one in the home except for him the entire time. I was mildly curious if he made up the story about the bruise to avoid telling me the truth about other things, but I did not press any questions.

"So, do you come to this forest often?" he asked polietly. He pushed a tree branch out of the way and allowed me to pass before he did. I courteously accepted the chivilrous act and walked a short distance ahead until I was able to answer his question.

"Acutally, I haven't been here in quite some time." I said telling half of the truth, I felt as though my caretaker wasn't worthy to know the entire truth of why I loathed the forest. "The last time I was here some prude boy thought he could use me, but he didn't."

"Really? What bad manners." he said. He lead me straight out of my nighmares and into a world where the sun was bright and melting the beautiful snow. I could see my home in the distance and I sighed with relief. It was the first time in my life I had ever been so overjoyed to see my home and be on my way to sleep in my own bed.

"Thank you so much." I said with a smile. He smiled back again with a small smirk like last time.

"You should come by sometime, you know, if ever you feel lonely this winter." he said with his tone rather low. I felt myself falter from his presense and I watched the sun glow on the color of his hair that looked lavender.

"Yeah, I should." I said aloud. In my head I thought of about fifty different things that were better to do that even thinking about the forest. I turned myself away from him and I felt the wind hit my feet.

"I'll see you around then?" he asked.

"Yeah, see you." I said and started walking away. The truth was, I doubted if I would see my caretaker again. I did not plan to fall in any frozen lakes in the near future and the forest was out of the question.

So, I skipped down the hill in relief of seeing my comfortable world.

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Expect the next chapter up in about...three or four days.


	4. The Youth of Our Generation

Disclaimer - I do not own DragonBall Z so please do not sue me. 

A/N: Two reviews! Better than one, I guess. Thank you guys for reviewing and staying with the story. I'm updating at a fast pace because I just found the inspiration to finish this story - it came to me in a dream! Seriously! Well...anyway, onto the story.

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**Chapter 4: The Youth of Our Generation**

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_Dear Trust,  
There have only been certain times when I have used you in this short life. Each time it turns to hurt and my secrets exposed. Tell me how I can use you to my advantage. Tell me how I can not be hurt by these people._

The spring came into bloom as I put on my blue summer dress. The cold winter finally passed and I was filled with excitement. The Sunday morning air played with the hems on my dress and I shyly had to keep it pushed down. The church wasn't too far from here and I needed the exercise anyway.

I went to a different church than my mother. She always liked to go into the city, so she could show off her prize possession - the betrayer - and her baby bump. Something happened the one day I was gone during the winter and the next thing I know my mom had morning sickness and her diet changed.

The church I attended was a mile walk from our small home. We all used to go to it when our family was whole, but ever since my mom married him I have been the only one. The family was no longer mine, so I did what I knew God would see as the best for me in my life; it was to stay with the church I grew up on.

It was rather early when I decided to head out of the house. My bible was tucked under my arm and my dark hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. I was walking toward the rising sun and marveled in its colors and radiance.

The church was fairly small since ther were no longer many people who lived on the country side. I made my way up to the double doors and opened one of them slowly. I found myself staring in the holy place surrounded by scriptures on the walls and stained glass windows as well. Each week the beauty of the church never dwindled, it only shone more. I quietly went to the front to take my regular seat, but someone was already there.

This never happened on any occasion whatsoever. I approached the figure with hair that looked soft and almost lavender. Once I saw his hair though, I immediately knew who it was. He looked up at me with kind repenting eyes and stood up tall.

"Hello, I didn't expect to see you here." He said. He shook my hand with a firm grip. "Is this your regular seat? I'm sorry about that, if you would like I'll push over."

"Thank you." I said. He smiled at me with honest eyes as he sat a rather new looking bible just a few feet away from me.

I waited patiently for the preacher to make his way to the front of the church. He greeted me kindly with a handshake and a hug. I felt him pull me in closer and then he whispered in my ear,

"Who's this young man? He lookes like he is lost, is he a friend of yours dear?" I shook my head politely in response. "Well then, I advise you to be his friend, I feel as though he has come here to seek help and shelter." The elderly preacher nudged me before winking and making his way to the podium.

I took a quick glance back at the teenage boy who saved me and gave him a smile. He did deserve that at least. He barely caught the smile in the corner of his eye and gave me the lonliest look in the world. My body shivered at the feeling he left me and I turned my attention to my familiar pastor.

The sermon was relatively short like it always was and the church had about thirty people in it. I was used to the small amount of people and when it was over I walkd toward the blue eyed young man.

His fingers fidgeted as I approached him, and I gave him a warm smile so he would know that I meant him no harm. He returned the smile, but lacked any courage to say anything to me.

"Did you enjoy the sermon?" I asked casually. He nodded his head lightly. I watched as he clutched his leather covered bible and pushed himself off the pew.

"Would you mind if I asked you a question?" He asked. He looked up into my eyes with sincerity. It was then that I noticed the skin under his left eye was rather puffy. I kept my thoughts to myself because the last time that I interrogated him he seemed reluctant to answer my question.

"Of course not." I replied.

"How is it that these last two times I've seen you, you look so happy?" he asked. "I want to be where you are, you look so alive."

I was taken aback by his statement and did not fully understand it. I wasn't always happy, not in my home at least, and here he was accusing me of having these emotions. I shook my head lightly and tried to think logically. How did I make myself happy? It was by going out of my house and opening my father's bible to find a scripture.

Then I realized it. He didn't have someone to share his happiness with. This must have been his first time at a church. I was convinced that he didn't have God in his life. My face brightened as I took a hold of the new bible in his hands.

"It's because I have accepted Christ." I said. "If ever I feel down, I turn to him."

He wore a confused look upon his features as I said this, and then finally found the words he wanted to say.

"How do I do that?" He asked curiously.

"Hold on, I'll go get the pastor." I hurriedly ran to the back of the chapel where he was. I pulled the humble pastor aside and gently whispered in his ear about my blue eyed caretaker. The elderly man nodded his head in approval before instructing me to stay where I was while he helped guide the young boy.

I sat in a back pew and observed them talking. My elderly pastor got down on his knees and so did the lavender haired boy. I smiled as I watched the wonderful ceremony of Christ coming into his heart. The two of them walked toward me and the pastor only hugged me before saying goodbye. But, he stayed.

"So, how are you getting home?" he asked looking down at his feet.

"Walking of course." I said with a smile. "Would you like to join me? I believe we're both going the same way."

"Sure." He mumbled.

He escorted me out of the church and our walk began.

It seemed more tranquil when I walked with him. The shadows blocked out the high noon sun that regularly hit my eyes. I concluded that I could get used to him walking with me to and from church. The walk was excruciatingly quiet and when my house came into view I sighed softly, catching his attention.

"Can I trust you?" he asked quietly, almost as though he really did not want to say it.

"Yes, of course. I have not told one person's secrets." He nodded and looked at the ground for a short second. I could sense the tension in the air and I held my breath shortly.

"I lied to you about the bruise on my eye." he started. "It was not from the logs - I know it was a sorry excuse - it was from the man who I call my...my..." he trailed off and exhaled deeply. "Father."

I gasped lightly and it was in that moment when I saw his blue eyes fade grey. There was dispair and a hint of anger that he dared not let out. Something within my innate self told me to reach up and talk a hold of his hand, but when I did he merely flinched away from the touch. I understood his feelings and the rest of the walk was quiet. When we came within footsteps of my home, I did not speak one word as we both parted our ways.

I watched in silence as he made his way into the forest.

--

So, what did you think? Does it sound too cliched? And have you noticed anything...er interesting about how I am writing this story? Whoever can figure it out gets major kudos!


	5. The Angst Begins

Disclaimer - I do not own DragonBall Z so please do not sue me. 

A/N: Woooo! Three reviews! Gash I feel so good! My mom read the first two chapters of my story and she said it was good, so I hope that y'all enjoy this next installment. I'm updating quickly because the story is so close to being finished.

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**Chapter 5: The Angst Begins**

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_Dear Anticipation,  
I don't know what to expect when you are around. My palms get sweaty, my breath is short, and I feel the adreniline rush through my body, nothing seems clear and I don't know how to react to anything anymore._

I hated going to the city. It was too crowded and the air was thick with smoke from cigarettes. I liked to believe that the world really was not like that. I convinced myself that everyone was miserable living in a huge congested area with skyscrapers that never end.

The car we had was very old. Every time it started it made a noise like a grinder. Mother always complained about it needing to be fixed, but she never took the time and effort to do it. As we came to a stop light, the car popped loudly, causing me to jump at the sound.

Did I mention th at I also hated the backseat of the car? It smelled like moldy cheese and some kind of scented spray. I could barely breath - even with the windows down. It was also stuffy, they always forgot to put the air on in the backseat for me.

"When will we be there?" I asked politely. My mother turned around and gave me a glare for a response. Her mood swings were beginning to get to me and I held back a smart remark. I took a glance out the window and watched people walking on the sidewalks, looking like they knew where they were going.

The car turned down a shady road and it came to a hault at a run-down building. I opened the door and put my guard up. Open spaces in the city usually meant trouble.

"Hurry up." my mom said. My mom assisted me to the door along with the man I dared to call my step-father. I followed along side them and they slowly walked into the decrepite building.

The inside looked just about as bad as the outside. I could have sworn I saw a rat scuttle across the floor as mildew fell off the wall. I forced myself to breathe only when necessary because the decaying walls ranked.

I followed them further in to the room and I found myself face-to-face with a greasy haired man. He wore all white and had a sinister smile on his face. I made myself not look into his eyes out of fear that he would put me under some kind of spell.

"I understand your sticky situation." he hissed. He looked at my mother's stomach with a sick gleam in his eyes before picking up a stack of papers. "However, I'll need for you to read our terms and policies before any further biddings."

My mother hesitantly took the papers and sat down in a broke chair. He joined her in the opposite chair and took a hold of her hand. I saw him whisper something in her ear, but I could not quite make out what it was. There were no other chairs in the room, so I had no choice but to stand.

I watched as fear, anticipation, and excitement washed over my mother's face at different times. She took a glance at her husband and pointed to something in the document. He nodded his head and she continued to read on. It felt like forever until she finally pulled out an ink pen from her purse. I sighed in relief as I watched her sign the legal document.

"Thank, thank, thank you darling." the grease ball said with a smirk. He stored the document in his desk and gave us all a quick look before speaking again, "Now, the precise procedure will take about six hours. You understand this correct?" he saw them nod their heads. "Good. Now, the appointment is set for next week. If you feel like it is not what you truly want, don't be afraid to deny it."

I was the first to get up and leave the room. I hurried through the congested corridors and found my way to the open alley. Exhaling deeply, I opened the backseat door and sat in it comfortably. My patience began to run thin for my mother and her husband as I twiddled my thumbs.

"Get out of the car." I heard a rough voice say. I jolted up to come face to face with a bearded man. His eyes were filled with anger, but I did nothing except make certain my door was locked. "I said get out!"

He was holding an object in his hand, and I had some logic to realize that he might use it to force me out of the vehicle. So, I ducked down on the floorboard just in case he decided he would.

Sure enough, he did. I felt little pieces of glass pierce my back as he took a hold of my body. My small figure was pulled out of the frame of the window as he forced me to the ground. I tried to catch my breath, but he put his hand over my mouth.

"Don't say a word."

I kicked him in the gut as hard as I could. There was no way he was going to take me anywhere else. He grabbed his stomach and in the process let me go. Just as he was about to pick up his blunt oject they finally came out of the building.

My mother knew how to react. She screamed as loud as she could before aiming her foot directly between his legs. He doubled over in sheer pain and we all bolted toward the car before he could recover.

"What were you thinking?" My mother exclaimed. "You could have got us killed!" it was obvious she cared more about her health than mine. She hadn't even noticed the broken window. I shook my head and felt a cool breeze. "And roll up your window."

"I prefer it down." I stated dryly.

The drive out of the city was rather quiet. My mother disliked radio stations - she was convinced the devil created them - so I was subject to silence. I wasn't too bothered by it.

About half-way through the drive I noticed a slight change in my step-father's driving. Every once in a while he would kind of swerve to his left. I assumed he was drunk until I realized he had not consumed any alcohol.

A car was coming toward us and I held my breath. I felt knots form in my stomach. Something was not right with him. I kept an eye on him as the car approached faster. Sure enough, just as it came within a few yards he swerved, hitting the car full impact.

My body flailed forward and my breath escaped me. I watched as he struggled to breathe. The airbag was covered in blood and glass, my mother had a shard of glass in her left arm and I could see the pain on her face. I felt the seatbelt dig into my skin as my breathing became shallow. The colors began to fade around my head and all I could see was a mass of blood. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but I failed in the end and I blacked out.

-

"There is no internal bleeding, she is free to go."

"You are certain of this?"

"Yes."

"What of the mother?"

"She had a few internal problems, and after the surgery she should be ready to leave."

"Should we tell her about him?"

"Of course, she's young, I'm sure she would want to know."

I opened my eyes to see a man and a woman standing on either side of me, both of them were wearing blue scrubs. I blinked my eyes a few times in confusion until I realzed I was in a hospital.

"Good morning Miss, how are you feeling?" the woman asked. I tried to sit up, but groaned in pain in response. My body ached all over. "I see that you are in mild pain, however you should be okay."

"What happened? Why am I here?" I asked groggily. I watched as the woman's eyes glanced at the doctor's. I raised an eyebrow and waited for someone to answer my question.

"There was an accident. A car accident." she finally spoke. "After doing a scan on your step-father, we saw that he suffered from a stroke in his left arm. He was the cause of not only the accident, but of his own death."

I blinked. It was all I could do in response. I had no feelings of hurt or longing toward the man because, in all honesty, I didn't care about his fate. I shook my head and pushed myself up. I was strong, and I knew that this barely affected me.

I wondered how my mother reacted when she heard the same news.


	6. The Best Happiness

Disclaimer - I do not own DragonBall Z, so please do not sue me.

A/N: Wow. 5 reviews! And, thanks so much to SamuraiGirl7 for reading & reviewing each chapter thus far. I really appreciate it. I am also thankful for all the positive reviews about keeping God in my story, I figured it might turn people off to include religion, but not in this circumstance! Oh! & Major kudos to SamuraiGirl7 for figuring out how I'm writing this. It wasn't my intentions to write it that way, but I had written two chapters and realized I used no names so I just continued with the pattern, to make it more unique. Andd...onto the story. once again, thanks for the reviews!

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**Chapter 6: The Best Happiness**

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_Dear Fear,  
I'm beginning to understand why you haunt people into believing there is nothing to look forward to, and I'm curious to know how this will affect my life. Thanks for always keeping me up at night._

"Honey, come in the kitchen. We need to talk." I heard my mother yell. I forced myself not to groan and instead I pushed myself out of my chair and drug my feet into the kitchen rather glumly. My mother seemed rather irritated and her hands were on her hips. "It's about time." she snapped.

Her pregnancy was beginning to wear thin on me and I couldn't wait for her brat - that would more than likely look like its father - to pop out of her stomach.

"I need for you to call for_ the_ gardener." she said putting too much emphasis on the. "I really need his help." it was obvious that my mother really had no interest on what I wanted to do.

I did not protest and I walked out of the decaying home. My mother did not care for the home like my father did so many years ago. I glided through thick grass and found myself facing a rather stout hill. On top of it stood a tall bulky figure with short dark hair and green eyes. I glared at him before whistling with my fingers in my mouth to catch his attention.

"Hey there shorty." he hollered and laughed. I forced myself to ignore every word he said.

"Mother wants you." I said apathetically before turning in the other direction. He did not respond to me, instead, I heard him jump from the hill. I rolled my eyes and paced myself faster.

By the time I arrived to the house, I turned the other way and headed toward the bank of the river.

I found myself by the river often during the summer. I sat down in a soft patch of grass and softly plucked at the blades. Memories began to flood through my mind of grass-stained dresses and roaring laughter, and I dared to block them out. The serenity of the river gave me a chill, even though there was no wind. I buried my head between my knees and found myself in prayer by the bank that day.

"You awake?" I heard. My eyes fluttered open quickly and I sat my head up. I was not expecting any visitors. Yet, I found myself looking straight into compassionate blue eyes. I smiled in reply and patted the grass to invite him to sit next to me.

"Why are you out here?" I asked simply.

"I've seen you here a few times before. I was curious as to why you keep coming back to this exact spot." he said.

"Have you heard the phrase, "You don't know what you have until it's gone?'" I asked quietly. He nodded in reply and I held my breath for a second. "Well, I come here to think about how I lost something very grand here at this river." I glanced out in the distance and I enjoyed the comfortable silence between him and I.

"It was like I wasn't even there, it felt like a movie. I felt as though I was the director and I kept rolling the reel. I did nothing to stop the film, I tried to yell cut, but the actors didn't hear me."

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand." he whispered. I smiled, I didn't expect him to comprehend what I was saying. My details were vague, though I did not do it on purpose to confuse him. "I hope that you are coping well though."

"I've already coped. It took me seven years to get to the point I am at today, and I feel that when I reminisce on the past it is just a lost memory that I cannot replace." I sighed softly and pulled out a handful of grass from the earth.

"Here." he said as he plucked a yellow flower from the ground. "It's the least I can do for a girl who loves to ponder on the past."

I accepted the flower and smiled. He had no idea that yellow was my favorite color, no idea that this was my favorite color, and no idea what happened on that day. I pushed the flower behind my right ear and pushed myself off the ground.

"Where are you going?" he asked, joining me.

"Wherever I feel like going." I said and laughed lightly. A cool breeze hit my face and it felt good. "So, where do we stand, are we kind acquaintances, or are we friends now?"

"Well, ever since that Sunday morning service, I have considered you a friend. But, your standards might be different than mine."

"Well, I see you as a friend."

"That's nice to hear."

The sun glared down on the top of my head and I convinced myself that it would be burned. Nevertheless, I sighed and looked back to see that he was still following slowly behind me, glancing at the scenery. I simply assumed that he had never been on this side of the country. I stopped suddenly and sat down in the middle of the field. He glanced down at me quizzically and joined me.

"Do you ever think about the world?" I asked as I allowed my back to hit the grass. The blades tickled my skin and I giggled slightly. "Sometimes, I like to think that the countryside covers the entire earth, because sometimes there's no where else I would rather be."

"I like you perspective on the world." he said as his eyes met with mine. "Mine is completely opposite; it consists of nothing but an existence in shadows, waiting for the darkness to envelop me in it. I'm convinced the world is sitting opposite a black hole and that I will be sucked in when the light ceases."

"Why so negative?" I asked slightly confused. I tossled my hair before closing my eyes. "Don't think of the bad all the time, there is always good in each situation."

"What's good about being hit by my father?"

I couldn't think of anything to say. I honestly had nothing running through my mind except for a great deal of pity toward him. Sighing, I pulled myself up to a sitting position and buried my face into my hands.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." he said. His eyes met with mine and I felt Goosebumps on my neck. "I'm sure one day I'll look back on this and see some good in the situation. At least I have someone I can talk to now."

My eyebrows furrowed. "No one else is trustworthy in your eyes?" I inquired.

"Not really, that and I really don't have too many people to talk to. It is kind of isolated out here." he said and laughed.

"True, I did not consider that." I pushed myself off the ground and began to walk back toward the cottage.

"I really enjoyed this." he said when my home came into view. I smiled in reply as he turned away from me. "I would invite you to my home for dinner, but considering the circumstance I am under, I hope that the thought is sufficient."

"It is." I said. I did not turn around to face him. I felt that no more words needed to be said and I walked toward my home.

Without thought, I opened the front door and I was greeted by my mother on her hands and knees. She was looking toward the soft lilac vase placed on our coffee table. I sighed and tried to ignore her pity toward the ashes within the vase, and began to walk by her. She stopped me though by pulling my leg, causing me to fall.

"Do you see what you have done to me?" she wailed. "I waited nine months for this child to come out of my uterus, but he is not here anymore. It's because your father did this! He did it through you!"

I flinched away from her and shook my head in dismay. She could not comprehend that I had nothing to do with his death. He died because of reckless thinking and not looking out for himself. She glared up at me and forced me to look into her shallow eyes that fell for a buff man from her high school years.

"My...my baby." she gasped. I watched as a wave of pain hit her body and she fell back on to the rough carpet. "The water is broke." she said and clutched my hand tightly. I looked around in shock and my mind blanked out. I had no idea what I needed to do. I remembered something about breathing exercises and to get towels in case a woman went into labor outside of a hospital. "C-call the ambulance."

I staggered off the floor and my eyes rapidly looked around the room in search of the phone. I reached for it on the end table and dialed as fast as my fingers could move. Within seconds, someone answered and I told them my situation.

"Honey, until we get there you should have her breath in a steady pace, get some blankets, and if she starts to give birth to the child, then help her by telling her to push. Do you understand?" I gave the woman the affirmative.

"Mother, stay calm." I told her as I pulled a blanket off the back of the couch. "I'm going to go gather blankets around the house." I ran as fast as my legs could carry me throughout the small home and when I returned to the living room I had at least ten blankets.

"It's...getting worse." I heard her grunt. I could not think how to react. "Do something!"

"I can't! I don't know what to do!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air in frustration. My mind was completely blank and nothing was going to change in that moment.

"I knew you were a mistake. Maybe my next child won't be such a disappointment. Get out of my face, you disgust me." she spat. She cried loudly as her body trembled. "Where are they?"

I was worthless, she said so herself, so I did what she expected me to do. I sat down on the loveseat and waited with her. I watched her writhing on the floor like a defenseless animal, but I could do nothing. Nothing was happening except for her occasional pains and her incessant noise.

When I heard the sirens from the ambulance, my mother cried for joy. Within seconds, men and women in scrubs came into our house with a bright blue stretcher. One of them turned to me with a solemn look on his face before asking.

"Would you like to accompany her to the hospital?"

I tried not to laugh; I knew it would be rude if I did. Instead, I shook my head. "I would rather not. She had practically disowned me." I said. I stared into her eyes full of hate just before she was carried into the ambulance.

Then I thought to myself, 'Where do I go from here?'


	7. It's Finally Raveling Together

Disclaimer - I don't own DragonBall Z so please don't sue me.

A/N: Wow, thanks for all the positive reviews! Sorry it took me a while to post this chapter, I just started school a couple of days ago. Well, I hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 7: It's Finally Raveling Together**

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_Dear Past,  
I remember when you used to be a gentle reminder of good times. Now, I feel as though you have abandoned me and sent me into a realm of lost and broken memories. Sometimes I wonder if there is anything to look forward to remembering._

I shivered as I walked away from the place I called home for the past seventeen years. Disgust filled my inner being as I struggled to stay warm. The air felt like it dropped twenty degrees in the last two hours. I turned my direction toward the city, I had to find someone who would help me.

I felt a drop of rain hit my nose. With a sigh, I sped up my walking, refusing to turn back and use her home as my own again. I felt the rain pitter patter softly on my skin, the summer rain was truly a nice thing to look at.

The sky grew dark and I only had the moon to guide my way in the night. I squinted my eyes in some effort to see better, and it seemed to work a little bit. The breeze pushed up at my ankles and I was reminded of the day following my daddy's suicide.

_I sat in my bedroom looking through old photographs. We were all happy, weren't we? We had to have been, because our smiles told stories, even mother's did. I folded my arms in anger and kicked all of the photo albums off of my bed. I understood why my dad wanted to leave._

_I pushed myself off the bed and bolted out of my room. I walked passed the kitchen where mother was making dinner, she did not even notice me leaving the home._

_I ran to the bank of the river where he and I were the day before. I got down on my knees, put my hands to gether, and bowed my head. I prayed for help and I prayed for love. In that moment, I felt like everything was going to last forever._

_I opened my eyes and saw the clear blue water stretching far. I inhaled deeply as I felt the breeze hit my ankles. "I love you Daddy, I hope you're happy now." I whispered to the air. The breeze shot up and whirled around my entire body. It lifted my favorite yellow flowers out of the ground and into my hair._

_I believed he was with me by the river that day._

The rain falling harder brought me back to the present and I failed miserably at keeping myself covered from the rain. I ran a little ways to see if I could find any light, but there was nothing except the shining moon.

I felt like a coward when I ran. I knew I was running away from everything my mother never gave me. My heart was filled with a void that no one could fix. My chest grew heavy as I continued running at a fast pace, I felt tears fall down my face at the memory of my mother telling me she was going to marry the blue-eyed man.

_"Mother, why!" I exclaimed. My arms flailed in the air in frustration. I could not understand her logic...then again, I was only twelve-years-old. "It's all his fault Daddy's gone."_

_"How dare you say that!" She yelled at me in equal anger. "He had nothing to do with your father dying in a car accident!"_

_"Liar! Liar! Liar!" I screamed and threw myself to the carpeted floor. My mother pulled me up by my arm in frustration and I felt her hand make contact with my smooth skin._

_I glanced at her in shock and confusion. She had never laid a hand on me once in her life. I felt my skin and cried for no apparent reason._

_"Don't call me a liar young lady." she warned. "That is what happened to your father. He was stupid."_

_"No he wasn't!" I cried. I ran passed her and pushed the front door open for an escape. She followed behind me, so I pumped my legs as fast as they could go. I eventually lost her and I found myself in a bright field._

My eyes were dried out and I was incapable of crying out any more tears. I forced myself forward even though my body could have collapsed right onto my feet.

Light burned my vision. I closed my eyes for a moment and when they reopened I saw a paved road less than ten yards away. I knew that I was closer to my destination and I slowed down. I caught my breath and before I knew it, I saw a house.

_"Hey, the wedding is tomorrow you know," he whispered as he entered my bedroom without permission. I looked up at him with a cold stare before turning my back toward him. "Aren't you happy?"_

_"Of course not, I'll have you as a replacement father." I spat._

_"Oh, you offend me little girl." He said and approached me. His cold hands fell on my shoulders and my entire body shivered. I knew that something was not right with this situation. "But, you could repay me." His eyes wavered from my face down to his jeans. Repulsed, I refused to look._

_"Don't touch me!" I screamed and pushed him off me. He understood that I meant business and he left the room without another word. I did not know if I would tell mother what he did._

_I threw myself on the bed and I cried. I was certain that I did not want my mother to wed him. It hurt to know I had no say in what I wanted to do._

The house was very quaint and sat on a very steep hill. I struggled to walk to the top as the mud became slippery under my feet. When I reached the top, I saw the brightest light in the world.

I walked up to the front door cautiously. I had not been here in ages. I said a silent prayer before placing my hand on the knocker. My fingers twiddled as I waited for someone to answer the door.

_I woke up freezing cold one winter morning. I glanced at the thermostat and saw that it was turned off. I glared in anger as I pushed myself out of the bed._

_"Why has the heat been turned off?" I inquired nicely. "I am unable to feel my toes."_

_"Honey, I need you to help get the firewood in. It is stored by the bank of the river." My mother said. I eyed her oddly before heading back to my bedroom._

_I put on the thickest winter coat I owned in addition to my black boots. I found my gloves and put them on as well. 'This has to file under some type of child labor law...' I thought to myself as I opened the front door to get the wood._

_I took my time getting to the river, and by the time that I did I had forgotten why I was there..._

"It's you!" he exclaimed. His eyes brightened at the sight of me and we embraced in a warm hug. "How long has it been since I've seen my favorite granddaughter?"

"Too long." I responded with a laugh. I pulled away and glanced at his face. He had not aged one bit since the last time I had seen him. "Time sure does not show itself on your features." I commented.

He must have noticed my body shivered because he warmly invited me in his home. I took a seat in a warm loveseat and he sat opposite me in a recliner.

"So, why are you here?" he calmly asked.

_I returned home the next day, but without firewood. I shyly opened the front door to see the two of them sitting together on the loveseat. A fire was roaring and the red flames waved at me rather welcoming._

_"You are home." He noticed. He stood up from the piece of furniture and sauntered my way. He took a hold of my hand gently. "We thought you had passed on."_

_I rolled my eyes in response and walked passed him. I opened my bedroom door and securely shut and locked it before jumping onto my bed. I was exactly where I wanted to be._

I bit my lip as I tried to find the words in my head. I took a glance at him; I knew he would wait all day for me. I felt many emotions run through me just before I said,

"I have no place left to go."

I hoped he believed me, because it was the honest truth.


	8. Stop, Pause, Rewind

Disclaimer - I do not own DragonBall Z, so please do not sue me.

A/N: where did the reviewers go? Ahh, oh well. If you are enjoying my story or not, then please tell me! And onto the next chapter!

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**Chapter 8: Stop, Pause, Rewind**

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_Dear Beer,  
I notice how you warp with other people's minds and make them do wreckless things. I watch in awe as you bring even the best of people down, like the people I care about._

It had only been a few hours since he opened the front door to allow me in. I tightened my grip around the blankets on the bed and shivered. I still did not comprehend the summer's weather patterns.

I took a glance at a digital clock, it read 11:11. 'Time to make a wish.' I thought. I always thought of silly wishes for eleven-eleven. I knew they would never come true.

I closed my eyes with a sigh. Sleep would not come easy that night. Sounds from the cars passing by forced me to lay alert in bed. It was useless to convince myself that there was nothing outside.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

My body shot straight up and I glanced over at the window. The shades were pulled so I rushed to push them open. When I did, there was nothing there. "You just conjured it in your mind." I whispered aloud. I turned around to go back to my bed.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

This time I faced the window just in time to see a dark figure. I shuddered at the sight of the shillouette. Then I saw the most piercing blue eyes. I was convinced that he had risen from the dead and was going to kill me.

The figure reached out tward the window and its finger began to write out on it. Watching, I made out the word, "help," just before the figure fell.

I ran out of the room, not caring if the eyes made me think of the man who had a stroke, he needed help, and I was willing.

I approached the figure catiously. The closer I was the smaller the person looked. Taking a good look, I saw lavender like hair soaked from the summer's rain. Shock appeared on my features and I gasped for air.

"Wake up." I begged and pulled his face from the mud. I looked at him with morose before I smelled alcohol on his lips. Disgusted, I shook his body in an attempt to wake up. "Please wake up. I can help you."

He groaned below me for an answer. I tried to pick him up, but his weight was too much for me to carry. He opened his eyes and the usual beautiful blue was replaced by bloodshot drunken eyes. I looked at him for that moment, and I felt a knot rise in my gut.

"Thank you." I heard him whisper. "You're beautiful you know."

My face turned bright red from the compliment, but it cooled off once I realized it came froma drunk. I helped him to his feet and escorted him to my grandpa's front door.

Exhaustion overwhelmed my body as I pushed through the door. I managed to make it to the room grandfather set up for me before collapsing with him in my arms.

"I'll be right back." I whispered.

I knocked on my grandpa's bedroom door and he opened it immediately.

"What happened to him?" he asked, already knowing my situation.

"It's my friend from the countryside, I don't know how he got here, all I know is that he is drunk. Do you think he may have alcohol poisoning?"

"It's likely."

He followed me to the room where my drunken friend laid, coughing on the bed. I silently watched as my grandpa examined him. I bit my lip - worried and frustrated.

"Well...is he alright?" I inquired.

"Just let him rest, he only consumed enough alcohol to ease pain it seems." grandpa replied. "You should make yourself comfortable on the couch."

I nodded and opened his hall closet. There were blankets and pillows that I pulled out and I arranged them on the couch. Within minutes I was fast asleep.

-

"Hey honey, wake up." my grandpa whispered. I felt him nudging me with his hands. I groaned in response to let him know taht I was awake. "There's some breakfast ready on the table."

I groggily pushed myself off the couch and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I forced myself to make my way to the kitchen even though I wasn't particularly hungry.

"Good morning." I mumbled to the figure sitting at the kitchen bar. Blue eyes met with my brown eyes and I could tell he was hung over. I sighed angrily before sitting down next to him.

"I hate mornings." he stated before laying his head down on the table.

"Breakfast is served." my grandpa said with a smile. He put two plates on the bar, both of them with equal proportions of pancakes.

"I can't eat. I'm sorry my stomach is still sick."

"That's not my fault." my grandpa said. "My grand-daughter is going to eat, so I don't see why you can't."

I watched as the two had a staring match. My grandpa looked as though he was winning. In the end, my hung-over friend pulled his plate closer to him and ate in silence.

"So, how did you end up here exactly?" I asked as I idly played with my food.

"Long story." the blue eyed teen responded.

"I have enough time in the world." I said with the same smile my grandpa wore moments ago.

He sighed and sat his fork down on the plate. I looked at him intently in some attempt to make it seem as though he had all of my attention.

"My father." He said, turning himself completely away from me. "I was just trying to help him, but since he is so convinced that I am worthless, I was just hindering his process. Instead of saying, 'Son, I don't need any help.' he thinks that taking his empty whiskey bottle and bashing my skull with it is so much more sufficient."

I gasped, it was all I could do in response. I could not understand his father's logic and it broke me inside that he did not have anyone in his family to turn to.

"Don't." she said simply. I watched him shake his head and push himself off the barstool. "I don't want your sympathy."

I felt a knot form in my throat. Surely he wasn't denying me a chance to tell him something. I closed my eyes and found myself following after him. He was leaving the house, and I could not comprehend as to why.

"Please," I whispered, taking a hold of his hand just as he opened the front door. "don't leave, you don't have to go back to a place where you are unwanted. You are welcomed here at my grandpa's home any time."

"I couldn't..." he trailed off as his blue eyes faded grey.

"Yes you could, I insist."

My hung-over friend looked up at me with a smile before letting my hand go. He pulled the front door closed tight.

"Only if you let me finish my story," he stated. "With no interruptions."

"Of course." I said.

"First, let's sit down, like I said, this may take a while." he said. We walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

"After my father broke the whiskey bottle, he told me that I would be better off a drunkard than his son." he whispered. "He brought me a bottle of some kind of alcohol and shoved it in my hand, he said to find a new place to live on my journey to drinking.

"So, I took the bottle and left. I did exactly what he wanted me to do. I ran for a while, I really did not know where I was going, the rain and the darkness messed with my vision.

"Then I stopped somewhere with the bottle and I took a good drink of it. It was quite possibly one of the worst tastes that has ever been in my mouth, but I did not stop. I kept drinking it. I thought about all the lies my father told me, all the times he broke me down and beat me up.

"I finished that bottle very quickly. By the time I did, I felt like I was on top of the world, my mind was in that field that you took me to that one day. It was simply euphoric, there are no other words I can use to describe it.

"Then, I looked up. I saw you running, you looked like you were in a hurry, like someone was following close on your heels, but I did not see such a character. So, out of curiosity, I thought to follow you, because all I could think about was how you were always so happy, and how I want to be as happy as you are."

"You...followed me?" I asked curiously. He only nodded in response. "Wow." I had no other words to say to him.

"So, will your grandfather let me stay here?" He asked fearfully.

"I do not see why not!" I exclaimed. "I'm sure he would understand your situation if you told him."

"Really?" he asked in disbelief. "Thank you so much. I'm going to go talk with him right now."

I smiled as he pushed himself off the couch quickly. He needed a place to go, just as I did. I felt the hairs on my neck stand up as the thought of him happy came to my mind.

"He said yes!" I heard him say as he came into the room. "Tell your grandfather he's the best man in the world, because I have already told him about twenty times."

I laughed at what he said and I watched as his grey eyes filled with their natural blue. I felt myself entranced by his joy as I smiled coyly.

"This is going to be great." I said more to myself than him. He agreed with me with an excited nod.

I could not help but be happy.

---

And the plot has formed once again!


	9. Dramatic Exit

Disclaimer - I don't own DragonBall Z so please don't sue me.

A/N: Thank you so much for the positive reviews! I have a feeling people arent going to be too fond of this chapter, but it's necessary for the story to have the proper ending! And onto the latest chapter...

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**Chapter 9: Dramatic Exit**

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_Dear Worth,  
Sometimes I feel as though I am nothing in everyone's eyes. You make it seem as though my esteem is a negative twelve. Make these feelings go away, because I cannot take this pressure._

"Can you two hurry up? I have somewhere I need to be." My grandfather sighed as I shuffled out of the bathroom.

"I just need a minute." I begged. I pulled on my left shoe with speed and hobbled to the front door. My grandpa gave me a threatening glance, yet I only responded with a warm smile.

"Sorry I took so long." my new friend said. His hair was tossled and still wet from his quick shower as he emerged from the bedroom.

"Don't worry about it, let's go." my grandpa said with a smile. He lead us out of the house and to his car.

It had been one full week since my lavender haired friend told me that he had no where to go and I let him move in. The days seemed longer and my nights peaceful. I felt so much more happy every time I talked to him.

My grandpa pulled up to a building and rushed out of the car. I had a feeling that he was late to wherever it was he was going.

"So, are you adjusting well?" I asked the blue eyed boy sitting next to me.

"I think so," He responded. "I still feel like I am invading your personal space."

"Oh, don't worry about it, my grandpa loves the company." I remarked with a smile. "He was pretty lonely before you and I declared we were living with him."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be sorry, really." said. I pulled his hand into mine and firmly squeezed it. "We both are glad that you're here."

His eyes wavered from mine and down to our hands - I hastily let his go and felt a little bit of heat rush to my ears. Since I was in such a hurry, one of my rings fell off my finger and into the floor board.

"Oops." I said and started reaching for it.

"I'll get it." he said and leaned forward to pick it up.

Our heads bumped in the process and our eyes met for a second. I felt my stomach do a somersault as he came within centimeters of my face. I inhaled deeply to catch my breath and closed my eyes.

"Here's your ring." he said. My eyes fluttered open in response. "Are you okay? You look a little pale." I felt his warm hand brush against my face in a friendly manner, but I took the action as a little more than friendly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little cool in here I guess." I responded. I pulled away from his warm hand and sighed softly. "Can I have my ring?"

"Yes, of course." he replied. He handed me a ring that had a green dragon and orange markings on it and I smiled remembering who gave it to me. "That's a beautiful ring, would you mind me asking where you got it from?"

"My father gave it to my mother, it was her engagement ring." I sighed. I let the ring slip onto my ring finger delicately. "He told me that when I grew up I could have it as a memento, because he knew my mom was not big on silly trinkets of love."

"That was nice of him." he said. I nodded in response. "My mom left me a picture of her and I at the beach before the sunset. It is my favorite picture, I was only about four years old in it, and my mom looks so happy." he glanced down at the floor and sighed. I watched as he reached in his back pocket and found the picture. "here, since you showed me yours."

The picture was beautiful; his mother looked around her late twenties and had a headful of bright hair. His eyes were a stunning blue and he was laughing in the picture. I smiled at it and handed it back to him.

"Your mother was beautiful." I noticed.

"Thanks." He said and put the picture safely away. "She died the year this picture was taken. I guess this was how she wanted me to remember her."

I heard the car door open and my grandfather jumped in the seat quickly. He started the car and backed out of the parking space before he noticed us.

"Well, that was relatively painless." he joked. "So, where do you two want to go now?"

"Let's just go home." I suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." my grandpa agreed.

THe carride home was extremely quiet. There was no radio in the car, and all that I could hear was the roaring engine.

When we got him I went straight to my new bedroom. I had a twin bed, a dresser, and a nightstand for furniture and a walk in closet for the clothes that I wore. Just as I laid down on my bed, I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." I mumbled.

"I didn't mean to bother you, I just wanted to know if you knew where the band-aids are, I cut my hand on something." He said. I looked up from the bed and I saw a mass of lavender hair. I grunted in response and pushed myself from the comfortable bed.

"I have some, they should be somewhere..." I said as I rummaged through one of the dresser drawers. "Hold on." I reached behind a pile of clothes and felt the package of elusive band-aids. I pulled them out and handed them to him. "Here you go."

"Thanks," He said and took the package. A warm liquid fell on my hand and I shivered at the feeling. "I'm sorry about that, I should have cleaned up my hand first."

"What happened?" I asked and glanced down at his bloody hand.

"I was helping your grandpa with the dishes and one of the cups broke on my hand." he confessed. "It hurts immensely, so if you don't mind I would like to-"

"Oh my gosh," I whispered as I took a hold of his hand for the second time that day. "This looks terrible, you need to put some alcohol on that to clean it up."

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing too bad." he said. He pulled his hand out of mine and put the other one around my shoulder. "You don't look too good. You look like you are about to pass out, are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I insisted. I shook my head slightly and it caused me to become light headed. "You should...put band-aids...on that...cu-"

I collapsed.

-

"Wake up honey." I heard the familiar voice of my grandpa say. I opened my eyes to be greeted with panic striken ones. "What happened? Are you sick?"

"I'm fine grandpa." I assured him. I rubbed my head in some attempt to wake myself. "I just got a little queasy from the blood."

"That's not what he said. "Grandpa stated, pointing to my blue eyed friend. "He said that you had been acting strange all day."

"Grandpa," I said and pulled him closer to me. "You don't need to worry about me so much, you will give yourself a heart attack if you keep it up."

He did not say anything else. He only nodded his head in response before standing up and leaving my bedroom. I blinked in confusion from his actions, but I shrugged them off when I felt something on my shoulder.

"Why did you lie to him?" Lavender hair fell into his eyes as frustration appeared upon his brow. "Why did you lie to me?"

I immediately bit my lower lip to stop my self from saying something I would regret. Instead, I turned my body away from him.

"I didn't do it to hurt you." I pleaed. "I-I am just scared."

"Of what?" He asked in a low tone.

"Too many things to describe." I reasoned with him. His body shifted on the bed and I soon found that he positioned himself to where our backs were facing each other and touching.

"Explain." He whispered cooly into my ear.

"Trying something new."

He pushed himself off the bed and walked to the door. I saw a look of malice in his eyes before he spoke.

"I'm sorry that new things scare you." was all that he said before leaving my bedroom and shutting the door behind him.

Out of anger, I slowly stalked my way out of the bedroom so that I could get the last word on the conversation.

However, just as I opened the door, I forgot what I was doing when I saw my grandpa lying in pain on the loveseat.

"Grandpa." I whispered as I approached him. I sat down next to him and saw that his hand was on his chest. Without thought, I flailed myself onto him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "What's wrong?"

"Honey," he said through rough breaths. His chest bobbed up and down rapidly. "My heart cannot help but love you fully, and-and that is why I worry about you so-so much. Please, understand that I cannot help-help what is happening to me.

"No," I stated as warm tears filled my eyes. "You cannot leave me, you are all that I have left in this world. Do you understand grandpa?"

"God has decided that this is my-my time. I have to go." he choked on his air and coughed violently before speaking again. "I am not the only one in this-this world, there is someone right before your eyes-eyes. I love you, don't forget that."

"Please grandpa." I wept into his chest. I felt my tears freely fall from my face as my grandpa's breathing became shallow. "Don't give in, you can't die, you can't leave me here." I curled into his body and clutched it strongly as I felt his life slipping away quicker than before. "I will miss you too much."

He took his last breath when I was holding him. I gripped his strongly one last time before letting him go. I forced myself to get off the couch, when I did my eyes met with blue ones.

"Don't talk to me." I begged. I tried to push myself past him, but he caught me in his grasp before I could get away.

He didn't say one word, he only held me close to his body liek I did to my grandpa. My emotions were in overdrive and I wept into his t-shirt as his arms rubbed my back in a soothing method.

Just before I let go and pulled away, I saw tears in his eyes.

--

Anyone sensing tension between the two? if yes, then good. it's what you're supposed to be sensing [:


	10. Black Sparks

Disclaimer - I do not own DragonBall Z, so please don't sue me.

A/N: yay! FIVE REVIEWS! It's nice to know everyone is enjoying the story! The next chapter is going to be very important! thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

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**Chapter 10: Black Sparks**

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_Dear God Above,_

_How is it that you can carry the fate of everyone in the world. The thought frightens me because within an instant someone could be taken from my life in a heart-beat. It scares me completely._

Black. The dress I wore was black. After all, it would be out of place for me to wear any other color there is out there. It seemed that this funeral was the only thing I had a say in, but I didn't want to think about it at all.

I took a quick glance at myself in the mirror and I felt sick. My make-up was equally as dark as the dress and my face was the color of a mannequin's. I turned away from the mirror and sighed heavily, my looks could never please me.

There was a knock at my bedroom door and I voiced the okay to come in. My country-side friend was dressed in a black tuxedo and he wore a morose face. He took a hold of my hand wordlessly and lead me out of the bedroom.

The house seemed to be at a stand-still since my grandfather's death two days before. The TV was off and the could was disheveled from his breathing pangs. My heart ached for a second as I passed by the living room, but I squeezed his hand to help me get by without crying. I was so glad that I had him for a friend. He lead me out of the house and into my grandpa's old car.

The drive was very quiet. He understood how fragile the situation was and also did not want to tamper with our friendship. He cared enough to not be one of those nagging kind of friends that asked, 'Are you okay?' about situations where I obviously was not okay.

We pulled up to the church that I regularly attended each week and I exhaled deeply. I was told that I was giving a spech about my grandpa. I had everything I wanted to say in my mind, I was just worried that it would all come out as a blur and no one would understand a word I was saying.

There were not too many people at the funeral, I think about sixty, and so I felt a little bit of pressure fall off my shoulders. I approached the front of the church and took a stand right behind the podium. I cleared my throat before speaking into the microphone that was set up.

"My grandfather was probably one of the greatest influences on my life. He was always trying to put a smile on my face in any situation.

"When I was five years old, he took me to a beach once. He picked up a handful of sand, but it slipped right through his fingers. Then he asked me, 'Sweetie, do you know why it slips through so easily?' I shook my head in reply, then he said, 'It's because you cannot capture perfection with your hands, you have to witness it with your eyes.'

"I have never forgotten what he said that day, and I have been living by that motto for as long as I can remember. My grandfather understood the balances of life and the world, and he was like the sand. You could not hold him in your hands for too long, because he was not meant to be taken, he was meant to be a person that was seen for who he was.

"My grandfather had an immense impact on my life. Even if I was not related to him, I would have to say that I would still look up to him. His death was something that was both unexpected and tragic, and I hope that we can all learn that life is so precious."

I lowered my head. I knew that my speech lacked comprehension and that no one would applaud it. After a second of silence, I turned away from the podium and began to step down.

Just as I walked down, a single clap was heard and it echoed throughout the church. I quirked my head in the direction it came from and saw an elderly man sitting in the front row. I gave him a sympathetic smile and continued my walk.

But, the clapping did not stop. I watched as more and more people clapped their hands together. I forced back tears and nodded my head as I came to the last step. By the time I reached the bottom, every person in the church was standing up to recognize me.

I found a seat by my lavender haired friend and he patted me on the shoulder before whispering,

"That was very sentimental."

"Thank you." I whispered back.

The elderly man who clapped for me earlier went up to the podium to say a few words after me. He talked about the times when him and my grandpa were young and how they became friends. It was a sweet message, and I clapped heartily for him.

When the funeral was over, I was left in tears. My grandfather's death was taking a toll on me and I could not stop it. Two kind hands lead me out of the church and back into my grandpa's old worn out car, and once again, he did not say a word.

The home looked bare and unsettled. I felt my stomach form about five knots that I knew would take forever to untangle. I opened the car door, but instead of going up to the home, I turned in the direction of the countryside.

Just as I passed by his striking blue eyes, I whispered, "I need some time alone." and he nodded, understanding my situation.

I walked lazily into the grass that marked where I needed to be. The scenery was lovely, it was summer after all, and my eyes got lost in the view for a moment. The trees were full with leaves, and bees were buzzing around flowers.

After a five minute walk, I found that I was in an unfamiliar place. There were no shrubs or greenery, just brown dirt covering a desolate area. I allowed a sigh to escape my lips as I sat down on the rough soil.

"Grandpa are you better now?" I aimlessly asked the sky. I did not recieve a reply.

I pulled my knees up to my chin and rested my head comfortably. The world was quiet today, for there were no sounds from the birds nor rustling from the ground animals. I inhaled deeply, gathering my thoughts, and felt at peace for the first time that day.

"Grandpa, what did you mean when you said there was someone right before my eyes?" I inquired with a gaze upward. "Were you talking about him? The boy who has been helping me cope?"

The wind howled in response and I became more alert. If it was true, then what did he mean by it? Did he mean like a brother, or as something more? I shook my head as hundreds of ideas popped up. All I knew was that he was there for me.

With that last thought, I pushed myself off the dusty earth and headed back to the home. I realized that I needed to pull myself through this rough delimma even if it might take a while. I also realized that I had someone that was willing to help me through this, and he was waiting soundlessly at my grandpa's home.

When I made it back home, I smiled. I pushed open the front dor and found a headful of lavender hair sitting on the couch eating potato chips. He quirked hsi head toward me and for the first time that day, said something.

"I'm so glad that you are home."


	11. Nothing Left to Lose

Disclaimer - I do not own DragonBall Z, so please do not sue me

A/N: Thank you guys for all your positive reviews! This is one of my least favorite chapters that I have written, 1 because it took me 6 months to finally finish it, and two, because of the way I portrayed certain characters. The next chapter **will be the last chapter of the story. **I thought about making a sequel, but I am uncertain, if I get positive feedback, I will think about it.

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**Chapter 11: Nothing Left to Lose**

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_Dear Rage,  
I know that you are hidden deep within my soul somewhere, but I have yet to pinpoint where. You dwell deep down in each soul. Please, don't get the better of those around me, it would be terribly tragic on my pitiful heart._

"Are you certain that this is what you want to do?" He asked looking me in the eyes.

"Positive." I responded. "It's what he would have wanted."

I found that I was facing a sign that read, 'FOR SALE' in capital letters. I smiled in satisfaction and stuck it in my grandpa's old car.

"It won't get much," I admitted, stating the obvious. "But, I'm sure that my grandpa would like to know that I finally got rid of it; he'd been meaning to sell it for the past two years."

He shrugged in response.

"Come on, let's get inside, it's starting to get cold." I said as I rubbed my shoulders. "I cannot believe it's almost winter."

I took a glance at autumn beginning to fade. The leaves were casually falling off trees and they left a beautiful array of colors on the ground. I smiled at the beautiful world around me, and how miraculous it was that God had created this with his hand.

"Are you coming in?" He asked, catching my attention. I nodded in reply and hurried my way up to the door. "You'd better make it quick, or you'll catch a cold for sure."

On my way up to the door, I tripped on one of the steps - it was strange, because, I was never very clumsy - he grabbed a hold of me strongly, and helped me up the stairs. He truly was an amazing person.

"Thanks." I murmured. I felt my face redden and tried to get away from him so he would not notice me blushing, but I was not quick enough.

"I told you you would catch a cold, your cheeks are already cherry red." he pointed out. He reached out to touch my face and his hand felt like a warm fire compared to my cold face. "You are like ice! I'll go get you some hot cider to warm you up."

I nodded in reply and made my way over toward the couch. I covered up with one of the crocheted afgans. The warmth filled my entire being and I started to drift off into a dream of the past.

_"Sweethart, we cannot have this baby that's in my womb." Mother said as she paced around the bedroom frantically. "If we do, then it will hinder my career. I won't be able to work long hours until it is grown up."_

_"Don't worry, there are ways to get rid of unwanted children." he stated and gave her a pat on the back. "We can just give it up for adoption, it will be perfect."_

_"But then all of my girlfriends will think I'm incapable of being a mother, when I know that I am!" she exclaimed. "Is there any other way."_

_"There is," he whispered. "But, it's risky."_

_"Tell me more."_

_"It's illegal too sweethart, I don't want to be charged for murder."_

_"Murder?"_

_"You can abort the baby," he said, "It is a very costly procedure, and it could kill you too. But, it's main purpose is to get rid of unwanted babies; and none of your girlfriends will think that you're weak, they'll just feel sorry that you had a miscarriage."_

_"It's brilliant."_

"No!" I exclaimed, I jolted out of my sleep. Cold sweat dripped down my face and I felt two warm hands touch my face.

"What's wrong?" he asked. His piercing eyes stabbed daggers into mine. His smooth hands ran across my face in an effort to calm me, when in reality it only made my heart race even more. I inhaled deeply before talking.

"Bad dream." I whispered.

"Here." he handed me a warm mug. "Calm your nerves with a cup of cider."

I smiled and nodded my head. I took a gulp of the cider and my body warmed almost instantly. He sat there with a content smile playing on his lips and I returned the smile. I took one more drink of the hot liquid before sitting it on a coster on the coffee table. We sat there in a comfortable silence, however it was soon disturbed.

The door bell rang; it's eerie ring sent chills down my spine. 'Who could possibly be here?' I thought. I pushed myself out of the dining chair and rushed to answer the door. I tried to get a peek to see who it was before I opened it, but I could not tell who it was. With a sigh, I opened the front door.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying with all of my might not to scream; of all the people who could have shown up, it was her, my mother.

"I-I" she stammered. Her voice cracked fiercely. For a split second I almost felt bad, but my fury soon washed over and any anguish I had felt toward her. "I thought you mind want to meet your younger sister."

She held a small bundle in her arms and turned it toward me. A baby with round cheeks and blue eyes stared up at me. I rolled my eyes at my mother's feeble attempt to establish our relationship again.

"Look," she started, her brown eyes gazing intently at me. "I'm sorry about this whole situation. I shouldn't have treated you that way, and I regret it."

"Yeah, you're so sorry that you immediately came rushing after me as soon as I left." I spat at her. Just as I was about to slam the door in her face, my blue-eyed friend casually made his way toward the door.

"What's going on out here?" he asked with a hint of frustration in his tone. I could tell that he had been listening to parts of our conversation.

"Uh...nothing." I said, lying to him. "My mom is here, and we were just...catching up."

"That's not what it sounds like from in here." he glared down at me, then his eyes quickly shifted to mother. "Isn't it obvious that she doesn't want you around? Get the picture, woman."

With those words, he slammed the door in her face, allowing a small amount of anger to leave. His gaze found me once again and I quivered as I saw the anger flooding in his eyes, the same eyes that - only moments ago - were sending signals that hinted something deeper than friendship.

"Why did you let her treat you like that?" he growled, taking me in his grasp strongly. I gasped loudly, but said nothing as he shook my small frame. What was there for me to say? "Answer me!"

My body was pressed up against a door, the knob piercing me in the back. I winced aloud, to let him know the pain he was causing. I could not understand where all of his anger and rage was coming from, and all I could do was squirm in his stronghold and force myself not to cry.

"I-I" I stammered, trying to find something to say. I bit my lip lightly and avoided his piercing blue eyes at all costs.

"Well?" He inquired, his hold on me as strong as it was seconds ago.

"Like you're any better than her." spat out at him. His facial expressions immediately changed and his death grip on me lightened just a little.

"Take it back." He begged more than stated. "Please, I don't want to end up being a mess like my father is."

I bit my lip. I could see deep into his soul when I glanced into his eyes, and I could see that he was being honest, earnest. I relaxed myself in his hold and blinked away a few tears, not daring them to fall from my face.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, he brushed something off my face. Then, I soon realized that I was crying, as much as I hated to. He pulled me into his arms and whispered softly into my ear. "Promise me something..."

"What?" I asked him, glancing up at him with glazed eyes.

"Promise that you won't let me hurt you again," He cooed. He placed one soft kiss on my forehead, in some way to assure me that it would not happen again.

"I promise."

And with those words spoken, I had committed myself to something I was capable of keeping.


	12. Last Straw

Disclaimer - I do not own DragonBall Z, so please do not sue me

A/N: Well, here it is. Finally. It took me a little less than a month, and it took me about two and a half hours to write this chapter. After careful reconsiderations and whatnot, this is it. I hope that I do not disappoint you. This ending was planned out before the story was even written, I based my story around my ending. Thank you so much all of you, I really could not have finished it without so much positive feedback. Also, I had to do some research on this last chapter, so that I wouldn't look like an idiot when I was describing things. If you really want a sequel, then please, _please, _review and tell me. If I do write one, it will probably be within the next month or so, depending on how busy my schedule is.

Here it is. The final or dare I say _last _chapter of Last Straw.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Last Straw**

* * *

_Dear Love,  
I never thought that you truly existed after seeing so many people fall apart because they thought they were in love. But, now I think that I have found you. I know it must be unbelievable after I have lost so many to my heart, but from this day forward, I will not have it happen again._

I awoke with a start the morning after he had held me strongly in his arms last night. I could not get him off my mind, and my dream from last night was proof. In the dream, he kissed me tenderly on my lips, told me not to worry, and promised me that nothing would tear us apart, not even death. I could not comprehend what my mind was trying to tell me, but the thought of him made me smile.

As I went into the kitchen, my blue eyed friend was already awake. He recognized my presence and smiled up at me as I entered the room. I found myself sitting on the couch and he came to my side with a mug in his left hand.

"Care for something to drink?" he asked quietly. I nodded my head and accepted the mug; it was coffee, its black, rich and pungent taste filled my mouth with an aroma of sorts. I quickly finished it off, and thanked him silently for getting it for me.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

I quirked my eyebrow. The telephone was ringing? In the whole time that we had stayed at my grandpa's home, I had only heard the phone ring twice, and once was to arrange his tragic funeral. I eyed the phone suspiciously and I motioned for my lavender haired friend to answer it. He obliged and casually picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" he inquired, not knowing what to expect. "I'm sorry? Yes, of course. It is a 1991. Yes sir, the engine is working fine. We changed it about two weeks ago. Our initial offer is five grand, after all it is rather old. Hold on, let me check."

He put his hand on the receiver to block out whoever was on the phone and he glanced at me with a pleading look in his eye.

"Hm?" I asked.

"A man is on the phone asking about your grandfather's car. He wants to know if you would take fourty five hundred for it."

"Tell him it would be the lowest that we can go to sell it." I said. I knew how people tried to lower prices down, I was not completely oblivious.

"Okay, thanks." he said. He took his hand off of the receiver and continued his conversation. "Are you still there sir? Well, the owner says that the lowest they will go is forty five hundred. You will? That's great! When will you come by to pick it up? Oh, well I'm sorry about that. Yeah, sure, that is not a problem in the least. Where would you like for me to bring it? Hold on just a moment, let me write this down."

He sat the phone down on the coffee table and I watched as he dashed into the kitchen, obviously looking for a piece of paper and pen. He came back and for the last time, picked up the receiver.

"I'm back. Okay, what was the address? You said you'll be on the corner of Woodland Avenue and Florence Street? About an hour. Thank you sir." He hung up the phone with a sense of gratification on his features.

"So?" I asked, waiting for him to tell me something.

"I think I sold your grandpa's car!" he said. I smiled and hugged him tight.

"Thank you, I probably could not have done it without you." I said. I pulled away from him. "Did you say he was going to meet you on Woodland Avenue?"

"Yes, why?" he asked, bewilderment upon his handsome features.

"That means you have to go into the city?" I asked. I gave him a weary look. I did not have very good experiences with being in the city full of damned people. A great proportion of them were homicidal.

"Don't worry about it. Okay?" he asked. My mind clicked and it triggered a mental image of the dream I had last night. I shook the image out of my head and found myself back in the conversation with my blue eyed friend.

"Yeah, okay." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "But, I really don't want to go with you. I have had terrible experiences with going to that wretched city."

He smiled at me coyly. The look on his face told me that he was up to something, but I did not know what it was. I gave him a quizzical brow and he pulled me back into his arms, kissing me lightly on the cheek.

"If you insist." he whispered. He slowly let me out of his embrace, his warm embrace that I loved to be in so much. I watched as he grabbed the keys to my grandpa's car off of the kitchen counter. As he turned his back away from me, I felt a twinge of guilt pulling at my heart. It was telling me, go with him, go with him or you will regret it, I ignored this sudden turn of emotions of my heart, and simply smiled when he turned around and waved goodbye.

The front door shut and it emitted the loudest silence. I stared around the kitchen blankly and felt my fingers tingle from being dormant at my side. The sound of my grandpa's old car revving up startled me and I twitched slightly. My eyes peered out the window and I caught one last glimpse of him before he sped off into a whole new world.

I let out a breath of air I did not realize I was holding in. My shoulders were tense, and I could not understand the reasons why. I shook myself to try to relax, but standing at the front door waiting for my friend was not the way for me to do it.

I sighed as I found myself in the living room; planting myself on the couch for the second time that day, I picked up a book under the coffee table next to me. It was titled, "The Little Mermaid." I had never noticed it there before, and I began to read the fairy tale. The beginning seemed so light and happy, that it made all my worries and troubles go away. I drifted into a light sleep from reading the book.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

I jolted out of my sleep. That was the second time that stupid phone rang in one day. Half afraid and half anxious to answer the phone, I nervously picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" I asked, my voice cracked from just waking.

"Yes, I was given this number by the young man who is staying in our hospital. He said that you are the only contact that he knows of."

"Please, describe him." I begged, my stomach sinking.

"He is about 5'9'', blue eyes, and his hair looks almost purp-"

"I'll be down there shortly." I said. I slammed the phone down, nearly breaking it. My heart raced rapidly and I could not fathom what had happened to my friend, my caretaker.

I put some shoes on and stormed out of the house. I began walking up the road, my heart nearly beating out of my chest, until I found a bus stop. I glanced around, making sure there were no suspicious characters, and quietly sat down on the bench. As I waited, I dug around in my left pocket for some change; all I managed to muster up was about two dollars and fifty cents. I prayed to God that it would be enough.

The bus finally came and when the doors opened for entry, I got on and looked at the toll,

'A dollar twenty-five. Oh thank you Lord.' I thought. I found a seat next to a sullen woman and waited anxiously for the bus to get to the hospital.

When I finally arrived, after countless of bus stops, and seeing a man who looked vaguely familiar, I dashed to the front desk of the hospital. I told them who I was, and who I was there to see. The woman looked at me with a tinge of sorrow in her eyes.

"He is located in the ICU, you will need to talk to one of the clerks there to get permission to go back." she said barely above a whisper. I opened my mouth to ask her a question, but she stopped me "And I am not allowed to disclose any information, so you will have to wait until you get up to the ICU to find out what is wrong."

I fumed as I walked over to an elevator. 'How can she not give me any information!' I growled inwardly. As I entered the elevator, there were two male doctors in it, who were also going up.

"Did you get the blood test?" the dark haired man asked.

"Yes, his blood is AB negative, it's very rare, and I hope that we have enough." the other man, with reddish hair replied.

"It's a tragedy really. The poor kid does not even have a family to turn to."

"But, we still have to do everything we can for him, God made doctor's for a reason."

"Yeah, you're right..." the dark haired man pondered for a moment and ruffled his hair lightly. "Then again, Camden is not the best place to be making any kind of deals on street corners, even if they are legal."

I gasped, catching the men's attention.

"Excuse me." I whispered, trying not to look as though I was eavesdropping. "Was he making a car deal?"

"Actually, I believe so." The reddish haired man said, he seemed quite shocked that I had an inkling of what he was talking about. "How do you know ma'am?"

"I-I'm his friend. I'm here to see him." I said a little louder than my last statement.

"Oh my." The doctor's face turned as red as his hair. "We'll take you to his room right away."

The elevator doors opened on command.

I followed the two doctors down the hallway and the reddish haired man turned to me.

"Would you like to know what happened to him?" he asked. I nodded my head, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the dark-haired man disappear down a different hallway then we were going. "An eye-witness said that she saw him get out of the car and as soon as he did a man came up to him and put a gun to his head."

I stared at the man wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Unfortunately, even though someone tried to stop the man from shooting him, the man still managed to shoot. The wound was in the head." he said quietly. "The odds that he'll survive are not very high, only five percent of people survive a gunshot to the head."

I bit my lower lip.

"How could this have happened?" I asked more to myself than the doctor. He patted my shoulder and lead me down the hallway.

"There is a little bit of good news." he offered. I nodded for him to go on. "Luckily, the gunshot was from the front of his skull to the back, his odds of survival are higher because if it would have fractured his skull from side to side, the odds would have been drastically low."

We turned a corner and as we walked a few feet we finally stopped. He continued talking,

"The only problem is, he has not responded to anything. He is in a coma, we are uncertain of how deep the coma is and if we do not see any signs of life within a certain time period, there is a probability to discontinue life-support."

"No!" I exclaimed. 'He can't, he can't do that!'

"We'll discuss matters for it later." the red haired man said. He opened the door, room 318, and lead me in. "For now, you can sit in here with him as late as you wish. I understand the seriousness of this situation."

I slowly entered the room, my eyes began to fill with tears as I glanced at his lifeless body on the gurney. I choked on my breath and took a hold of my friend's hand; he felt cold and numb. As my eyes surveyed his entire body, I felt myself go rigid as I glanced at his head. His beautiful locks of lavender hair were hidden under countless of wraps around his head. I grew weak as I stood there watching him, and finally found myself a seat in the chair directly next to the bed.

'Please, please don't leave me.' I thought as I drifted into a somber sleep. 'You're the only thing that I have left.'

--

Weeks went by, and there was no signs of life from my friend still. Each day my heart ached for him, and I prayed for him more than I had ever prayed for anyone else in my life. The doctors would give me updates, telling me about how they were removing dead tissue from his brain, how the gunshot had not affected his spinal cord, and he pinpointed where the bullet was - his right mind.

I grew accustomed to eating the cafeteria lunches they served, due to the fact that I did not have much money. Each day, I would tell him how everything was, and how he was getting better. I would also ask him in the sweetest of voices to wake up, so that the doctors could see that he was just fine.

The door opened and it startled me out of a daydream. The familiar red-headed doctor was standing there and he had a disappointing look upon his features. I stared at him intently, waiting for what he was about to say.

"It has been a month now ma'am," he began. "And we still have not seen any signs of life from him. With comas like these, the odds of him waking are...well, they are nearly non-existent. I hate to say this, but next week, we will have to take him off life support."

"What?" I asked.

"It is the only choice," he stated. "the boy has no medical care, no history, no family. All he has is you, and you are no blood relative." The doctor sighed heavily. He saw the look of disdain upon my features. "I am so sorry."

"No you're not!" I exclaimed.

He did not say anything back, he merely left the room; leaving me to be all alone, forever.

Couldn't this doctor see that my lavender haired friend was the only thing that I had left in this world. My dad went and killed himself, my mom abandoned me, my grandpa died of a heart attack, and -even though I despised his entire being- I also lost a step dad!

This was the last straw.

I was not going to lose him, I was not going to lose the last person on this earth that I loved.

Love? Was it?

I curled myself up into the chair, allowing fresh tears to fall off of my face. My body was trembling from fear and anxiety. I couldn't lose him. No! As I covered my face to hide my anguish, I felt something cool graze my arm. Startled, I pulled myself out of my hands, and when I looked up, shock washed over my features.

He was awake. He was alive. He was not going to be taken off of life support. I felt my heart leap, I thought it nearly fell out of my chest it leaped so hard. I wiped away my tears. The last thing I had on this earth was looking at me straight in the eyes, his eyes were the most beautiful blue I had ever seen.

I gently grasped him in a hug. He leaned in closely and whispered something in my ear.

"Thank you for being there for me."

I believed in miracles from this day forward.


End file.
